


Five Times Nicholas Said "I Love You"

by LokiOfSassgaard



Category: Hot Fuzz (2007)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-09-14
Updated: 2008-09-14
Packaged: 2018-05-28 01:35:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6309073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LokiOfSassgaard/pseuds/LokiOfSassgaard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just exactly that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Times Nicholas Said "I Love You"

Seeing Danny like that, not like Danny at all, was almost too much. The doctors said he'd eventually wake up, but he was certainly taking his damn time getting around to it. During the explosion, he'd suffered a minor bonk to the head; nothing permanent or lasting, but enough to complicate things. Nicholas tried to convince himself that it was probably for the best. Convinced himself that otherwise, Danny would be poking at bits of himself, hindering the whole healing process. He tried to tell himself that the doctors knew what they were doing.

Nicholas was a hard person to convince.

He spent hours reading to Danny, books and news paper articles, in between sharing gossip and rumours. When he was absolutely convinced that no one was around to see, he would even hold Danny's hand, gripping tightly.

It was mid-day when Danny finally opened his eyes, gazing round the sterile room in confused terror.

"Hey, partner," Nicholas said calmingly. He grip ped Danny's hand tightly, fighting back the tears he knew would prove his human side. "I'm right here."

* * *

Nicholas hadn't been in the court room any longer than necessary. He'd waited in the hall until he was called for his testimony, and immediately returned to the cold faux-marble bench. Waiting for the legal mess to clear itself up, he found himself sending messages back and forth to Sergeant Martin, saying nothing in particular. When the giant doors finally opened, and the crowd began to emerge, Nicholas barely had time to pick up his jacket from the bench before Danny grabbed him by the shoulder and hauled him off to the nearest empty hall way.

"He's goin' away, Nick!" Danny sobbed, clutching tightly onto Nicholas. He buried his face in his friend's shoulder, not caring who saw. "Seventy years. Might as well be life! I'm never gonna see him again!"

He sobbed against Nicholas, choking on every breath. Struggling with how to respond, and what to do with his hands, he settled for gently rubbing Danny's back. "I am sorry," Nicholas said awkwardly. "I really am. But I'm here for you. Always will be."

* * *

Going over to Nicholas' was a rare event, but now that he had a telly and a DVD, there was more reason to make the drive out to the edge of the village. Nicholas tried to get a new film each week, but sometimes he'd forget, or run out of time, or the selection he did get was just rubbish. This week, he'd hit solid gold. There was a deep element that let you think, if that's what you were into, and enough fantasy element and violence to keep them both entertained. Nicholas was just glad that he didn't have to go to great lengths to explain the whole tie in with Guy Fawkes, and who he was.

What Nicholas wasn't expecting was for a film based on a comic book to be so bloody long. He'd seen comic books. They were twenty pages, max. Of course, Danny then had to explain that, no, comics also came in what were called "graphic nove ls," which is what this particular film was based on, and the trades would often follow story arcs that lasted years. Luckily, at that point, Parliament was finally blown up, and Danny got distracted from his rant.

As the end credits rolled, Danny glanced down at his watch and frowned. "Guess I should be going'," he said, noting the early hour. "Gettin' late."

Nicholas thought about this for a moment, and settled down closer to Danny. "No," he said decisively. "I think I like you right here."

* * *

The pub was crowded, even for a Friday night. Plenty of regulars, and even a few faces that neither of them had seen before. The only officers not accounted for were Sergeants Michael and Malcolm Turner. Which was just as well, because they gave Nicholas the creeps.

"You sure?" Danny asked in between gulping down his lager.

"Positive," Nicholas said forcefully.

"Okay, fine." Danny looked round the pub, his eyes settling on one of the unfamiliar women i n the pub, her hair dyed a bright tangerine orange. "How 'bout her, then?" he asked.

"No!" Nicholas responded, letting out that giggle that only ever escaped when he was well into his fourth pint. "Too... ginger."

They both laughed, finishing off their drinks. In an effort to calm himself down, Nicholas stood and fetched up their empty glasses.

"There's got to be somebody," Danny said, looking round the pub again. "Nobody in here strikes your fancy?"

"Well," Nicholas started without casting so much as a glance over his shoulder. "There is one person, but I think that goes without saying."

* * *

Danny had a better film collection. And a bigger bed. It seemed completely logical for movie nights to become almost exclusively at Danny's flat, for those simple reasons. Tonight was kung fu. Jet Li in his final Chinese epic, but not even fancy wire work was enough to keep them awake. They'd put the DVD in too late, and with the approaching dawn, it was simply impossible to keep awake through the end. Finally, Nicholas grabbed the remote, and turned off the telly and DVD all in one go.

"Let's go to bed," he said tiredly, making his way back to Danny's bedroom.

"Thought you'd never ask," Danny said as he hefted himself up from the sofa, following Nicholas. They barely finished undressing before both collapsed onto the tangle of sheets. By the time Nicholas had himself situated and ready for the short night ahead of him, Danny had already fallen asleep, cuddling tightly the dinosaur-patterned blanket. Nicholas watched Danny sleep a few moments, gently running his fingers through Danny's hair. "I love you," he said quietly. "I hope you know that."


End file.
